Echo in the Corridor
by Be one with Mother Russia
Summary: Echo is new at Whammy's, and she's Nears first friend, her life in the past is tragic, can three new friends heal the hurt in her heart? Or will she remain shattered forever? An Echo of her former self? MxM Nx..? Writers Block, sorry!
1. The odd girl and her tragic life

**So, this is my first Death Note fic. I took a while on it, and I probably have the next chapter done, but I don't know, andyways, Echo is MINE. If you think Mello is protective of Matt, then you are idiots. Echo is in a real book I am writing, so, sorry if you wanted to use her, but no. Nope. No no nononononononononono. Soooo sorry, but I don't care. My friend, who lives in my head, helped me write this, and now she says she should get credit, but she's a little voice in my head, so screw her. She just threatened to sue. Ha, my mind just threatened to sue itself. And now she has a lawyer. If you think I'm kidding, as Nightmare Realm, she will confirm, I talk, argue and scream at myself, inanimate objects, and make the freakin NOM sound while eating. **

**Disclaimer- I do not own Death Note, and you do not own Sophie 'Echo' Star.**

"Okay, students. Before we start this mornings lecture, I'd like you all to meet Echo. She'll be joining us."

A girl, about twelve, stood next to the teacher. In her hand was a beanie baby puppy, she had a thumb nail shoved under her tooth. But neither of these was what the so called super-geniuses noticed first. It was her hair. Her hair was a light green. It went all the way to the backs of her knees.

They all observed her quietly, waiting for her to speak, which she did not. She sat in the only empty spot, next to Near, and ignored them all. Near raised an eyebrow. From what he could see, her eyes were closed.

"Hello." Near murmured to her. After a few seconds, when she didn't answer, he turned back to his toys. "Hello." She replied in a slight whisper a few seconds later. He raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to play?" He asked. After a brief hesitation, she nodded.

Mello and Matt, from their spot behind them in the row, observed this all quietly. "Wow." Matt whispered. "He made a friend."

"Pff." Mello scoffed. "She'll come to hate the little bastard eventually." Echo's head snapped up, and a pen embedded itself in Mello's chair, half an inch from his... family jewels.

Mello turned an unhealthy shade of green. Matt giggled. "Looks like she disagrees, Mels."

Echo nodded sharply, and Matt grinned. She still had yet to face them. After class, at about six, she disappeared outside. Mello, Matt, and (because he was curious, though he'd never admit it) Near, followed her at a distance.

She sat below a tree and began to read. Five minutes later, Echo was approached by a group of students, four girls and seven guys. That was when it got interesting.

"Why is your hair green?"

"Did you dye it?"

"What happened to your parents?"

"What's your new rank?"

"Why are you ignoring us? Don't ignore us!"

The most annoying girl in school, she named herself Princess, tried to punch her.

The key word here is 'tried'. Echo gripped her wrist in an iron fist without having looked up from her book. A loud snap resounded in the deathly silent clearing.

Princess began to scream. Her wrist stuck in an odd angle. Mello nodded in approval. Little demon or not, the girl could fight.

The girls began to drag Princess away. All seven boys attacked Echo. Mello moved to get up, annoying or not, Echo deserved to be protected, but Matt pulled him down and nodded at Near, who was approaching the group.

Both Matt and Mello settled back to watch. It was known Near could fight well. Not as well as Mello (of course) but he could hold his own. The boys, however, ignored the white haired prodigy.

Echo punched the first boy in the... ouch. Mello winced. That had to have _hurt._ The boy, predictably, went down fast, but Echo ignored him. The other six boys began to overwhelm her when Near showed up.

One unfortunate boy was met with a robot in the same area in which Echo's fist had met another's previously. Again, Matt and Mello winced.

But this boy retaliated, and punched Near hard enough in the gut to make him bow over. That was how Echo spotted him, laying on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain. Echo saw red.

She began to attack and really fight back, breaking bones and splitting heads easily. The boy who punched Near was on his feet and running by the time she had finished the other five.

Echo ran after him, grabbing a rock as she followed. She throw it, with a much force as she had thrown the pen, and beamed him in the back on the shoulder. He went down with a scream, and didn't get back up.

Matt and Mello ran to help Near to his feet. Echo jogged back to them, as both Matt and Mello put their hands up in a gesture of peace. She nodded at them and approached Near.

"Are you alright, mon cher?" She asked, her voice flowing out like water. He nodded tightly. She smiled brightly at him.

"Good. We must get you inside." Echo handed him the toy and grabbed Near, Matt's and forced the red head to grab Mello's. She then proceeded to drag them inside.

If any of the boys had been paying attention to it, they may have noticed she dragged them to Near's room, but the boys were all going over the fight in their minds.

She released Matt's hand a produced a key, unlocked the door, and let herself into the room. That was when Near's mind caught up.

"Why do you have a key to my room?" He asked.

Echo smiled, her eyes still not visible. "We will be roommates, they think that since you do not get along with others, and I do not get along with others, we will work with each other ."

Near nodded. "Very well." She grinned and replied.

He blinked. "Um. Seven, I think."

She grinned again. "I know... uh...thirty nine I think. I lost track somewhere past thirty."

Matt and Mello observed them quietly.

That night, as Near lay in his bed, he watched her quietly. She sat in her bed, book in hand, reading quietly. She stayed like that all night long. The next few weeks, Near and Echo were seen walking down hallways together, not talking, just enjoying each other's company. Soon, they and Matt and Mello became inseparable, though Echo and Near were as close as Matt and Mello.

Finally, when they were in Near and Echo's room, Near finally got the courage to ask her the faithful question.

"Why are you here?" Near asked gently. It was obvious she liked him, so he was the one she would most likely tell.

"I... I shouldn't tell you. You would hate me." The smile slipped off her face.

Mello glanced at Matt, who nodded. "My father..." Mello began, "Was an addict. My mom was too. They came at me when I got home from school when I was seven, tied me up, and shoved me into a car

A long time later, they pulled me out and stripped me in front of a man, I... he tried to touched me, so I took his gun and... I shot them, both, and the other man, dead."

"Later, I found out they were selling me to that man to be a slave. My name was Mihael Kheel." Matt gripped his hand tightly. A tear ran down Mello cheek at remembering.

Matt looked up at her. "My father was a gang boss. I told the cops, and he ran. He tried to kill me, and put me in the hospital for a few weeks. When he came for me again, while I was in the hospital, I shoved the needle of a syringe full of carbonic acid into his eye and squeezed.

It melted through his skull. He died on me. My name was Mail Jeevas."

Near looked at her, straight in the eye. "My father was a serial rapist and murderer. I found the three women he kept in his closet, literally, and freed them. I killed him in his sleep.

Later, I found out the women I had released had gone to the cops, and that one of them was my mother. She was mad at me. She had been whoring herself out to him, and when they gave her custody of me, she threw me into a bathtub full of bleach. I killed her as well. My name was Nathanial River."

Echo sighed, and pulled Near into a tight hug. "My past... I will tell you... but please do not judge me until I have finished."

All three boys nodded, and glanced at the clock. It was passed seven pm, and dark. Dinner was in about an hour. Echo released Near, and sat on the other side of the room, on her own bed.

"My... I can't call him my father, because he wasn't. My... keeper's name was Derek. He was the right hand man of the Mafia leader in New York. He trained me to... to kill people. I was an assassin. I hacked things for them, like the Met's security system, and helped this that huge art theft last year. I was...perfect.

Who would suspect the little girl with the pretty hair? I was taken everywhere, and I was one of the most trusted people in the Mob. I killed so many people. Then one day, I met him... A normal person, a little boy that was my age, at the time I was nine, and we made friends. His father was the next hit, and I was to take care of him. In mob talk, I'm sure you've seen the movies, it meant I was to kill my first friend's father.

I tried not to let him get to me, but it happened. He invited me to stay the night at his house, and in the dead of night, I snuck out of his room. I killed his father, and his mother to keep her quiet, and I turned to leave, only to find _him_ in the door way. He'd seen me kill his family. So to keep him quiet I had to kill him, but my time with a normal family had left its mark.

I decided, the Mafia had to go down. So I destroyed them. I... every single person I knew, I killed, all but one... Derek... I couldn't kill him. He was the only parent I'd ever known. So I let him go, he ran, and I turned him in to the police. He told on me. Gave them my name, and soon, I was all over the news, a little girl took down the Mafia when the police failed. My name... My name was on the news, two weeks ago, my name was Sophia. Sophia Star."

The room was quiet, and tears slipped down Echo's face, and she brushed her hair away from eyes, revealing the palest shade of purple. They seemed to glow, and soon all three boys were drowning in violets.

Near got up, eyes still filled with visions of purple flowers raining into a meadow like sakura blossoms in the spring. He wrapped his arms around the girl, finally breaking eye contact as she laid her head on his shoulder and cried.

"Thank you." She whispered, over and over as if it would make the hurt go away, make the tears stop.

Near brushed her tears away, even as more came to fill their place. Matt and Mello also came over, engulfing both younger children in a tight group hug.

"I would like to tell you its ok, but its not. And nothing I can say will ever make it such, but if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, we're here for you, Echo, we're here for you." Matt murmured.

She cried even harder. Echo was just so happy. She had lost her first friend, but she had three new ones. She smiled, even as she cried, and for once, she felt content to just be silent.

**Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, REVIEW. Light (god) DEMANDS it of you. Ummm, oh right, I am taking character designs. Your confused aren't you? I mean, if you want to be in this story, I'ma need a name, a background, and a appearance. Sooo... yeah... bye! Oh, and, REVIEW! =)**


	2. Evil Plans and Plotting Girls

**Hiya! I don't own Any of these people except for Echo, touch her and I bite! =) Enjoy.**

"Echo... I need dating advice..." Echo looked up at Matt as he sat beside her. She smiled brightly. "So... what's on your mind?"

A light dusting of pink covered Matt's cheeks. "See... I, uh... IthinkImayloveMello!" He spit out all in one breath. She grinned at him. "And? I don't see a problem here."

"Well... yeah... but-but what if he doesn't like me? What if I disgust him? What if he- God forbid- what if he hates me? What do I do?"

She smiled again, though he couldn't see her eyes, she only looked Matt, Mello and Near in the eye without her hair covering them. "Uhm... see, sigh Matt... how about we work on one thing first... A) Mello won't hate you, your his best friend. B) if he hurts you, I'll kick his ass. C) Do you realize you just came to an ex- mafia assassin for dating advice? D) Just wait, and go with the flow... we'll deal with it."

She grinned, and only now did Matt notice her canines were slightly longer than the average person, and were very sharp, like a vampire. The grin was the incarnation of evil itself, and an eerie glint in her eyes sent a shiver down his spine. Soooo creepy.

With that, she stood and wandered off, an air of nonchalance covering her retreating figure.

"Ohh Near Dear!" The pale albino boy jumped, knocking over a ne house of cards, and turned to glare at the person disrupting his thinking time. Echo. Shit, she was giving his the _look_. She was plotting something.

And she needed help. "Near, can you help me?" She asked.

He frowned at her, and shook his head mutely. She pouted, and glared at him. Suddenly, another evil smile covered her face. She shook her hair out of her eyes and looked his straight in the eye. Crap. He couldn't say no to that face. Resist! A little voice in his head screamed. You must resist! Res- He sighed, "Fine, I'll help you. What are you doing?"

She grinned and clapped. "Yay! We are going to find out if Mello is gay." If Near had been drinking anything, it would be all over the room by now.

"W-what?"

She grinned. "Yup. See, Matt loves Mello, but he doesn't know if Mello is gay, so we need to find out. I mean, I already know he's gay, but Matt wouldn't believe me without proof. So we need to get proof."

Near sighed. Just great. Now he needed to... oh god, what is she sent him in to their room? God only knew what lurked in the blonde's lair!

Echo giggled at the look on his face. It was a cross between constipation, shook, fear, curiosity and horror.

**See? New chapter, sorry its so short, I just asked my crush to go with me to prom, and I kind of freaked out a little and asked him in French, then in English, and he hasn't answered, and the nerves are making me extremely jumpy, so I can't write. Lol.**


	3. Plan A

**Sorry its kinda late, I was hoping to update yesterday, ut oh well! I had it written, not typed, but written. lol**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Death Note, or Alice in Wonderland. pouts =) Enjoy!**

"Tell me again why I agreed to help you?" Near murmured. Echo grinned.

"You could never say no to me."  
She replied in a whisper, giggling. "

"Well, that's true enough I suppose. Now, why exactly are we stalking Mello?"

"We need to confirm his sexuality." She replied. "And that has what to do with..." He squinted at the book held in Mello's hand. "'A complete History of Russia'?"

She giggled. "In high school in the United States, boys often hid... magazines in school books." She whispered back.

"Oh." Taking the hint instantly, he went back to staring holes into the back of the blonde's head. Ten minutes later, Mello stood, shoving the book back on to the self. After he had exited the library, Echo stood and picked the book up, opening it to the center.

She began to giggle. "Well... sexuality confirmed... Ooooh. I think I'll keep this."

Near, who was reading over her shoulder. The contents of the book made him blush heavily.

A lemon. A. YAOI. Lemon. Echo was really scary sometimes.

He gagged. "Little homophobic there, Near-dear?" He shook his head vehemently. "No... just... how does he read this like its history?" Echo giggled.

"Tons of practice, mon cher, tons of practice."

"So. Now what?" She smiled evilly. "Now... Now we find Mattie."

........

"Okay, Mattie-boy. We have discovered Mello's sexuality. Now we implement plan A... but... its gonna cost ya."

"What?"

"First.... I want a picture of you two kissing." He nodded. "Okay."

"Second... I want a pair of sunglasses." The boy stood and dashed off. He returned five minutes later, glasses in hand, and gave them to Echo. She nodded appreciatively.

"Right... Now... Plan A!" She laughed manically, lightning seeming to come out of no where. Matt and Near shivered.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/Rocky Mts!/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Hey Maaaaaatt." Said boy walked over to Echo. "Uhmm... yeah?"

"Stand right here, and don't move, 'kay?" She smiled sweetly, though it did nothing to reassure his fears, he nodded, and Echo ran off. Matt glanced at the ground to find a red duct-tape X on the ground next to his foot. "Shit."

Echo stormed into Mello's room, singing. "We're late! We're late! For a very important date! No time to say Hello, Good bye! We're late! We're late, we're late!" She crowed, grabbed his hand, yanking him off the bed and out the door, his book laying lost and forgotten on the floor.

"We're late! We're late! For a very important date! No time to say good bye! Hello! We're late! We're late, we're late!"

At the last 'we're late' they rounded the corner to stand at the foot of the stairs. At the top, Near, whom had snuck up on the unsuspecting Matt, murmured, "I hope one day you'll forgive me." And pushed the boy down the stairs.

"Ah!" Matt let loose a surprised screech, and fell straight into Mello, who, in all his awesomeness, caught his best friend.

"Are you okay?" Mello asked Matt, who nodded shakily.

"Good." Mello stated curtly, and dropped his friend on his arse. He turned to Echo. "What were we late for?" He asked. She grinned. "I du know... I thought you did."

He groaned in annoyance and stalked off. Echo turned to the boys. "Well... that didn't work... Now... plan... B!" Both boys shivered as she pulled put out a fashion magazine.

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

**Yes, it is very short, I noticed. The plans will be, lol, this is lots and lots and LOTS of fun. The plotting to put people together I mean, I just plotted (for weeks) and got my friend the boy of her dreams. Literally. He's nice, weird, but nice. And now their going to prom! lol, sorry, too happy!**


	4. Plans and Failures

**Sorry this took so long. May 22 was my birthday, so I had to leave and attend my party. Not that I wanted it, but oh well. So this is for uh.. Dae. Yup. Dae... (sp?) Uhmm. I've been busy all week, actually, the last couple of weeks, so sorry this took so long to update. Schools out, so expect more of them!**

**...**

"Soo..." Echo looked at Near and Matt and sighed. "No, really... Any help? I have no idea what to do." She lied straight threw her teeth. In the back of her head, in a voice that sounded strangely like her first friends', she heard, 'don't lie, it'll rot your teeth!' She tried not to giggle.

Plan B had been a disaster, Near had neon pink hair for a week before Echo had found the correct set of chemicals to turn it back. (They had been trying to- well no, lets not get into that, too painful... the defeat still burned like an itch she couldn't scratch.)

Plan C hadn't fared any better, though no one got a chemistry dyed hair job.

Plan D... lets not talk about Plan D. Echo took the scars and moved on.

None of them could remember Plan E, but if someone asked Echo what happened, she flinched and looked around as though expecting something to hit her from any direction. When she burst into (fake) tears the seventh time, they stopped asking. (aren't eye drops useful?)

Plan F. Oh yes. Plan F. It had not gone well, and Near was in the infirmary for a few days.

G had gone marginally better. Less... explosives and such. Mello was still looking for the person who melted his chocolate. Echo felt bad for whom ever he chose to blame.

On down though a list of long and complicated plans past Z, and now on plan three. Echo had an idea... and now was the perfect time to set it to use!

"Hey, guys, sit tight, 'kay? I'll be right back!" She rushed straight out the door. Mello... Mello... where was Mello? THERE! She slid to a stop before the blonde.

"Hey, Mels, can you do me a favor? Great!" She didn't wait for his reply, merely grabbed his hand a ran. When she reached the hallway closest to the room she left Near and Matt in, she stopped. "Shhh." She hissed. If they heard them now, she might have to come up with a new plan (again.) They walked quietly, Mello following along because now, he was curious.

She stopped him right next to the door and set a hand on his shoulder to keep him there. She motioned once again for him to stay, then turned around and went out of the hall. Mello raised an eyebrow. What on earth?

Suddenly, she came bounding down the hallway, loud enough for the people in the room to stop talking. She burst through the door, allowing Mello to see who was inside, but not for them to see Mello, and closed it. A small crack showed Matt, Echo and Near all sitting down.

"I'm sorry, Matt. I don't think I'll be able to help you."

The red head looked away from her. "Its okay, Echo, I already knew he didn't love me. I suppose it was just wishful thinking." Echo shook her head.

"No Matt, really, I was sure. But as they say... Only idiots are positive." It was the code she had come up with for Near, he knew the counter code, and it told him that something was going on.

"Are you sure?" Near murmured. Echo grinned. He knew. "Yup. I'm positive!" Matt gave a sad chuckle.

"Its just... I knew, somewhere deep down that he couldn't love me. But I wanted to believe... even if it was just for a couple of days, that you were right, and Mello... Mello loves me. But..."

Mello stood outside in a state of shock. He just... He just... Was Matt an IDIOT?

"Are you sure?" Echo was asking when he snapped back to reality. "Yeah, if he can't love me, I'll be happy if we remain friends. I'm positive." Well... there was Mello's answer. Matt _was_ an idiot.

Mello burst through the door and all but glued himself to Matt's lips. After a minute, he pulled back. "You... are... an... idiot..." He panted. "I...love... you... stupid." Matt kissed Mello this time. "I... you heard that?" He asked. "Duh."

"I love you too, Mels."

Echo grabbed Near's arm and pulled him out. "We should leave them alone for now, Near-dear."

**So, thats about it. Umm... yeah... so. I might make an omake for those, the plans, I mean, but you gotta reveiw! lol, no really, I love knowing what you think!**


	5. Echo gets a job and gives a riddle

**Sooo... New Chapter! yay! uh... what ever... this is a week after the last one, just a heads up! Oh, and, Light isn't Kira in this story, k? cause I have plans for him... mwahahahahaha! Enjoy!**

**...**

"What do you mean, he needs help?" Linda **(woot, first appearance!) **asked.

Roger sighed. "Just that, Linda, L needs help with the Kira case."

"And they picked _her_?" **(Linda doesn't like Echo, just sayin)** "We've been here so much longer than she has! Why did he pick HER?"

Echo looked at Linda quietly. "That shade of puce looks terrible on you." She murmured, commenting on the color Linda's face had turned. Linda's face, if possible, became an even uglier shade of purple. "Maybe she's stopped breathing?" Near commented.

Roger wanted to beat his head against the table. He _hated_ children. With a PASSION.

"Because, Linda." He gritted out through clenched teeth. "She currently holds the number one position in the house."

Linda screamed. Loudly. "WHAT? SHE CAN'T! NOT EVEN MELLO COULD BEAT NEAR! SHE CHEATED!" Linda lunged at Echo, who calmly sidestepped her. When the enraged girl turned to Echo again, the greenette grabbed her finger and bent it back out of its socket. Linda's face turned stark white, then green. She fainted.

Echo caught her as she fell and set her on the couch. "Well... now that that's over, when do I leave?" She asked Roger. He sighed. She should be punished for harming another student, but technically, its _was_ self-defense. He hated these people...

"Yes. You will leave tomorrow, be ready at 5:30 am." Echo nodded firmly. "Yes, sir."

Suddenly, she paused. "Roger." The man turned to her. "Roger, I want to bring someone with me." Roger raised an eyebrow. "I want to take Medusa* with me." He frowned at her.

"Oh, and why is that?" She looked him straight in the eyes, and he found himself drowning in violets. "Roger. Let me take her." Echo's voice seemed to come from all around him, he felt oddly at peace. "Y-yes, of course." It all made perfect sense. She smiled at him, closing her eyes. Roger blinked, freed from her trap like gaze.

"Thank you Roger." He blinked again. What made perfect sense? What was going on? Now he felt so confused.

"What ever." He turned and walked away, shaking his head.

Echo

"How'd you do that?"

Echo sighed, she _knew_ Matt and Mello had been listening! "Do what?" She asked lightly, hoping to brush it off as nothing.

"Don't play innocent, you did _something_!" She looked beseechingly at Near. He sighed. "We've been working on hypnotism. I thought she'd be good at it, considering the odd color of her eyes."

"Oh." Matt and Mello dropped it at that, for which Echo was grateful. She had other things to worry about at the moment.

"Ne, Mels, Matty, can you two do me a favor?" Both turned to her. "I need you to create a diversion this afternoon that will last for a while, so no one notices our departure. Think you can manage?" The two boys looked at each other and smiled evilly. "You got it, Echo." Both ran off toward their room. "Near..." He just nodded at her. "I'm off, Echo, be careful." She smiled lightly at him. "Aren't I always?"

He snorted, but walked away. She smiled at his retreating back. He just understood her so well. She headed for the only sakura tree in the entire grounds.

The sight of a black and red head made her smile. "Medusa!" She called. The head twitched slightly. She got closer. "Ne, Medusa." She repeated. The girl looked at her. "Hm...?" She asked Echo quietly, trusty notebook in hand. Echo paused, wondering for a moment what she was writing. "Medusa, we, you and me that is, are going to Japan tomorrow at five thirty! You might want to be ready!" She smiled at Medusa, and was delighted to receive a slight smile in return.

"If I may ask, why us?" Echo grinned again. "Because, I refuse to take Linda, and they won't let me take Near do to certain... gender opposition. Plus, there are enough boys helping L, he needs a woman's touch!" Again, she smiled at the slightly emo girl. "And!" She nearly shouted. "I like you! Your quiet, unobtrusive, smart, and also... you have really, really cool hair!" She said this all in one breath, and it took Medusa a moment to figure out exactly what had been spoken. When the words hit her, Medusa blushed dully. Echo smiled in satisfaction.

She sat next to Medusa in silence. The raven haired girl observed Echo quietly as she wrote. "Why me?" She asked again, in a half whisper. It was meant to be a rhetorical question, but Echo turned to her with a very serious expression. "I know what it means." She replied quietly, "To not trust those around me because of what happened in my past. I don't want you to go through the same pain I did, only to find more pain when you make friends, and they all leave. So I picked you."

She smiled, but it wasn't her all too happy one, or her plotting one, but a small, sincere smile from the heart. Medusa replied with a similar smile, truly touched that someone she didn't know, someone just like her, wanted to protect her so much.

"Did you know..." Echo murmured, sounding much like a teacher, "That there was one demon in Pandora's box that not even the stone maiden* could defeat? Do you know which of the horrors it was?" Echo stood silently and walked back inside. Medusa sat on the hill until dinner, undisturbed by those around her. Without even noticing it, she had written word for word Echo's little speech, and she stared at the riddle. Time to do some research on the Greek Gods, she thought.

...

**And that's a wrap! Okay, so first little star mark how's name escapes my mind for the moment.**

*** Medusa- This is the lovely character submitted by whenDAEbreaks, in her first review. Her description, as word for word as I could make it, is as such. **

**Long Black hair with red strips throughout it. She tends to where  
it in a long braid down her back. She has one Blue eye and one Green that is  
flecked with black. She tends to wear darker colors, but if she is in a  
good mood she might wear something a bit brighter than usual. She is often  
found writing in her notebook, which never leaves her hands. She has many  
notebooks to be exact. Tends to be quiet at times and doesn't come to trust  
people easily given the fact that her parents both left her. Can be a very  
good manipulator when she wants to be.  
Her father was killed in ****Iraq**** he was beheaded by unknown  
terrorists. Via computer television she saw. A few days later she found her  
mother in the bathtub with her wrists slit. Her mother could not take having  
viewed her first loves death. She later chose the alias Medusa because she felt  
her heart was stone there after. I really like this character. **

**The other (stupid annoying little) star thing (who's name I WILL remember... eventually...)**

*** The Stone Maiden refers to Medusa, who was once a beautiful human woman, who was lusted after by a god, Poseidon I think, and Athena, in a rage after finding that Poseidon had trapped her (medusa) in a temple dedicated to Athena, and hearing the woman's cries for help, turned her hair into snakes and anyone that met her eyes would be turned to stone. Personally, I dislike Athena, because its not Medusa's fault, but oh well, jealousy can't be helped, its a part of nature. **

**ASTERISK! Bwahahahahahaaaa! I figured it out! yay!**


	6. A history and a Parting

**So, I promised Dae I'd update again, and a ton of other people too, so here's the next chapter! =) Also**

**Disclaimer- I do NOT own Death Note, but Echo is MINE BABY! lol, also, Medusa, she's all whenDAEbreak's.**

**...**

Echo wondered what the troublesome two, as she called Matt and Mello, were going to do for a distraction, and decided, when she saw the smug looks on their faces, that she didn't want to know.

She cracked her neck and began to pack for her trip, making sure she had plenty of clean clothes. Near sat on his bed and watched her, a sad look on his face. She sighed when she caught his reflection in her mirror. He looked like a kicked puppy, and that _hurt_.

"I won't be gone long, you know. Just a couple of weeks. You don't have to worry."

"I'm not worried. I just... I'm going to miss you, Echo." She smiled at him. "I will too." She stood and hugged him. "Don't worry. I'll be home soon, 'kay?"

He hugged her back hesitantly. "I... okay Echo."

...

Meanwhile, in the Library.

"Pandora's box." Medusa murmured, holding the old dusty tome up. " In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman. As Hesiod related it, each god helped create her by giving her unique gifts. Zeus ordered Hephaestus to mould her out of Earth as part of the punishment of mankind for Prometheus' theft of the secret of fire, and all the gods joined in offering her "seductive gifts".

Her other name, inscribed against her figure on a white ground kylix in the British Museum, is Anesidora, "she who sends up gifts," _up_ implying "from below" as in, within the earth. According to the myth, Pandora opened a jar, in modern accounts sometimes mistranslated as "Pandora's Box", releasing all the evils of mankind— although the particular evils, aside from plagues and diseases, are not specified in detail by Hesiod — leaving only hope inside once she had closed it again. She opened the jar out of simple curiosity and not as a malicious act."

Medusa read aloud to herself. One word caught her attention. 'hope', and suddenly, she understood what it was Echo had been trying to tell her. "Hope." She whispered to the empty air.

...

Near looked at Echo in confusion when her head snapped up and she grinned. "What the hell?" He asked.

She tilted her head in confusion. "I... really don't know. Some how, I just get the feeling that someone understood me for once." He looked at her in shock.

She shivered. "It was a terrible feeling." She told him quietly. "Someone figured me out!"

...

Next morning.

"Oi. Oi. Oi. Echo!" The girl snapped out of her trance. She had been staring at that same spot on her ceiling for hours, and it was time for her to go. She glanced at Matt and Mello, who had come in to say good bye without her noticing. She smiled at them.

"When did you guys get here?" She asked. They had all been staring at her for a half hour. "What?"

"Uhm. Echo. You have to leave in ten minutes, shouldn't you be getting ready?"

She jumped out of bed. "Why didn't you get me up sooner?" She screamed, running around the room, brushing her hair and trying to put on socks at the same time. "Oh crap. If I'm late, you all die very painful deaths, you go that?" She shout them each a glare, her violet eyes promising pain.

All three gulped and decided to laugh at her _after_ she was safely out of the country. A knock resounded on the door.

"Echo... are you ready yet?" Medusa's voice floated through the wood. "Almost!" Echo called. "My stupid roommate didn't get me up in time." She told the girl as she yanked the door open, startling the girl on the other side. She turned one last time to glare at the occupants of her room.

Medusa saw Near, Matt and Mello, and thought, to herself, 'Only Echo would get on their bead sides.' Then stopped when she saw the terrified looks the boys shot her traveling companion.

Satisfied that the boys were suitably cowed, she grabbed Medusa's arm and ran for the front door.

...

**So I'm going to end it here, simply because there are really only a few chapters I plan to add to it. thank you for reading, now... REVIEW! lol, thanks! **

**Also... that little history is the actual history of Pandora's JAR. Gotten from a reliable source. ~ja ne! =)**


	7. Medication and Nightmares

**Okay, first thing I want to say. I'm am sooo sorry I didn't get this chapter up! I went out of town for a while, and when I got back I got sick. Then I realized I'd lost the notebook this chapter was in, cleaned my WHOLE room only to find out I'd left it at my friends' house when I'd left. So she had to mail it to me, and it only got here recently. So again, I'm sorry I haven't updated.**

**Disclaimer- I do NOT own Death Note, or the characters. But the song, yea, that one, that's mine. Do NOT use it, thank you kindly.**

**...**

"Echo." Medusa murmured quietly. "Does anyone know where we're going?" The greenette glanced at her. "Oh... no, but I have that taken care of."

Medusa glanced around, wondering what the girl had planned. Then she noticed the white stripes covering the doors they passes. She looked closer at the substance... was that liquid rubber?

Echo giggled. "Oh, they silicone-d the doors shut. _Nice_." She murmured appreciatively.

Medusa looked on silently.

**On the Plane 3 a.m.**

"Excuse me miss. Is there anything I can get you?" Echo looked up at the blue dresses attendant from behind her glasses and smiled. "Coffee would be nice, if its not too much of a bother?" She murmured.

The woman left, and Echo turned to stare out the window, humming quietly to herself. Medusa looked at her questioningly. Lost in her own world, Echo sang softly, "I hide behind walls... Built up so high. But I never thought, that you'd reach the sky. You tore them all down, and you laughed, as they crumbled around me. Oh no one found me."

The woman returned, passing Echo a hot foam cup. The girl smiled wistfully at her, obviously not all the way there, and took a sip of her bitter brew, before going back to her thoughts.

Medusa scribbled in her newest notebook quickly, as she wondered with idle curiosity about the lullaby. Almost not noticing, she wrote out the lyrics carefully, and wrote her question under them.

Echo had stopped humming, and Medusa had fallen asleep. Echo glanced at her watch. Shortly after four. She took a sip of her cold coffee. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, she would be meeting Mello's idol. _'I wonder what he's like?' _She thought, before, after having remained awake for two weeks straight, her will failed her, and she slept.

Echo's Dream.

_Black. All around her. Echo almost screamed. She _hated_ the dark. With a passion! Suddenly, she was looking at a little girl. The girl was staring at her hands, which were covered in red. And then she _was_ the little girl, blood covering her hands. Black and red. Black and red, and nothing but death. Death and duty._

_It was her duty to bring about death. Death and duty. A singsong voice, almost oozing insanity, chimed around her, "Death! Oh glorious death! We live for it, to feed our inner demon!" SHe was looking into a mirror. Blood red eyes stared back at her. She could vaguly remember those eyes. She knew them... they... "Death and Duty!" The voice chimed again, coming from the oh so familiar face. "Who- Who are you?" She stuttered. "Why..." The face smiled. Pointed teeth gleamed in a broken smile. "Why my dear, I'm hurt!... Don't you recognize me? I'm you!" _

_Bodies... battered, broken and bloody, littered the floor around her, and she stared. "I... am YOU!" The voice echoed around her. "NO!" She screamed._

_"NO! You can't be me! __**I**__ am me!"_

_"Oh, I pity you, my sweet." The voice whispered. "That is not true at all... You are __**me**__! Nothing but an echo of a great warrior! You are worthless! You! You were _nothing _without me! You exist only for me!" Echo screamed. Long, loud and terrified, tears threatened to pour down her cheeks as she shrieked her rage and fear. _

_A feral growl emerged from her throat, and the face, _her_ face, laughed manically. "That's it! Show me your anger! Show me your __**power**__!" Her fist met the face, which shattered like a mirror, little dusty fragments blew away and Echo let loose another animalistic shriek. _

"ECHO! Wake up!" Echo became aware of a hand shaking her roughly. "Wake UP!" The girl sat up with a start, reaching for a knife that she no longer carried on her person. She took in her surroundings, her mind still not fully awake, and her body reacted like a well oiled machine, throwing herself off the couch, she landed in a crouch, hand half raised like a cat, baring her teeth, a menacing half hiss, half growl raked itself from her throat.

Three men she did not know, and Medusa were looking at her in shock. A black haired one with a candy cane half hanging out of his mouth that she assumed was L, an old man, Whammy? and a young man looking like Adonis in the flesh.

Suddenly, it all came back to her. Why she was here, and that they had now power over her. She stood swiftly, stock still, and stared at them, noticing her glasses had been removed.

"Mirror." She choked out. Wordlessly, the old man, Whammy, pointed to a door slightly to the left of the room, and she ran for it. Her eyes! Were they...?

No... she stared into the mirror. There they were, the same light violet they had been for since she had gone to Whammy's Home. "Oh... thank God..." She whispered, slumping to the floor, she lay there. She wasn't sure how long, minutes... hours? It felt like forever... and yet, it only seemed to last a second before a knock sounded on the door.

"Echo-chan... are you alright in there?" She mumbled something about needing her bag, and a moment later, the voice asked what she needed from it.

"Third pocket on the outside... plastic bag with little orange bottles... Thank you." The door opened just enough for the bag to be past to her. Instantly, she kicked it shut and popped two of each, then laid back down on the floor.

"I hide... behind walls built up so high... but I never thought... that you'd reach the sky. You tore them all down and you laughed as they crumbled around me. Oh no one found me..." She half whispered, half sang.

"Images, sounds... bright colors and life, but I view the world in black and white... black and white... The music of the world, people gping out of their way to be happy and many don't understand what's happenin'..."

Outside the bathroom

"Medusa-chan... can you tell us why that little girl has Tegretol and Prozac?" Medusa watched the door with wide eyes, listening to the song, and scribbling as the adults talked. She glanced at them when the bathroom went silent.

"No... Near... her roommate Near, he might know... he seems to know everything about her."

L handed her a cell phone. "Can you contact him? We need her help, but if she is mentally unstable, we wouldn't want to risk her health." Medusa dialed the number she hand seen on the back of Echo's hand. It rang twice before Near answered.

"Near.. Its Medusa..."

"Where is Echo?" The boy demanded. "Is she okay? What's happening?"

"Calm down! We need to know... what's wrong with Echo?" The line went silent. "What happened?" Near asked. His voice dangerously soft. Medusa winced. "We were on the plane... I'd fallen asleep around three thirty... Echo..."

"She feel asleep." It wasn't a question. "I.. Uh.. yeah. She did. She was withering around, and talking then she started screaming. We couldn't get her to wake up, so Ryuuzaki and Light-kun carried her up to the hotel. When she woke up... she was screaming, and she... I think she almost attacked us. Her eyes... Oh Near... I never want to see those eyes again!" She shuddered, remembering the cold, calculating blood red gaze that had hit her with the force of a pick up truck.

L took the phone from the girl as she slowly tried to regain her composure.

"Near-kun. Why is it bad when Echo-chan falls asleep?" The man asked. A crackling sigh floated over the speakers. "Echo is... haunted... by what she used to be. Everything she's seen. She takes... medicine, to control her memories, and another to deal with depression brought on my said memories. Did she take her pills today? They, and her will power, are the only things keeping her together right now."

L shivered. He knew what it was like to be alone. "May I speak to her, please?" Near asked.

L nodded, before remembering the boy couldn't see him. "Of course." He slouched over to the bathroom door. "Echo-chan... there is someone on the phone that would like to speak to you." He pasted the cell though the crack that opened in the door, and rejoined the others.


End file.
